MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 744: Child

”I object.”

The Second Supreme Monarch’s voice echoed through the hidden realm like a cold ripple across still cosmic waters. At his words, gazes turned sharply towards him, everyone staring curiously, as though trying to decipher what kind of declaration he was about to make.

”What do you mean, you object, Second Supreme Monarch?” the First Supreme Monarch asked calmly, his tone devoid of irritation, merely seeking clarity as golden rings spiraled slowly within his eyes like celestial halos rotating around an unseen axis.

The Second Supreme Monarch’s crimson eyes shifted to him, the blood-red glow meeting the golden-ringed eyes of the First Supreme Monarch. The air thickened subtly, a quiet pressure spreading through the realm as the cosmic seats emitted faint hums.

”I mean,” the Second Supreme Monarch began, his voice steady and unhurried, ”we all climbed to our positions through blood, carnage, and the unrelenting destruction of all that stood before us. And now, we are meant to give the position of a Supreme Monarch to a child? A nineteen year old child? Is this how far the military has fallen that a boy barely out of adolescence is to stand equals with us?” His voice, though calm, carried an undertone sharp enough to slice through stone.

He made sure that none of the true anger he felt towards Anthony surfaced in his tone, his voice, or his face. He masked it perfectly, his expression composed in an almost regal stillness. His aura did not flare, his posture did not shift beyond what was necessary. Only his words carried his discontent.

”Need I remind you,” he continued, his voice echoing across the hidden realm like a slow tolling bell, ”that this particular child only trained for a year within Military Base Alpha-6. Within that single year, he flew from the rank of Private Soldier to that of a Lieutenant. And after that? He went from Lieutenant rank to a Major-ranked soldier. And now, you stand here, ready to place him among us, as a Supreme Monarch. Tell me, has the rank system of the Military ever been so belittled and walked all over like this?” His gaze swept across the gathered Monarchs as though accusing the entire assembly.

Silence once again filled the cosmic air, thick and unmoving. The Supreme Monarchs did not speak at first, their silence heavy, dense, and contemplative.

Several sets of eyes shifted subtly towards the Fifth, the Eighth, and the Ninth Supreme Monarchs, as though waiting for them to react or at least display some form of acknowledgment. But none of them did. They sat ever so calmly, each bearing an expression of distant observation, as though what was happening before them was a trivial matter not worthy of emotional reaction. Their stillness carried a form of authority that did not need to speak.

Michael had a faint smile resting on his face, languid and deceptively gentle. In truth, his mind was far from idle. He was already prepared to separate the Second Supreme Monarch’s head from his shoulders should the vampire overstep the boundaries of his place. His fingers lightly tapped the armrest of his cosmic throne as if he were playing with the thought.

Mitchelle’s eyes were distant, their depths unfathomable, not because she was uninterested, but because her mind had shifted towards something, or rather, someone, else entirely. Vega lingered in her thoughts like a shadow stitched into the fabric of her consciousness.

Collins, on the other hand, appeared bored, his expression unreadable. His mind drifted elsewhere completely, thinking about his wife and how he could be spending this very moment with her rather than entertaining what he considered needless political debate.

Then, cutting across the stillness, a sigh echoed through the air, tearing the silence apart like a thunderclap splitting the heavens.

”Sigh... While your words do make sense, Second Supreme Monarch, they are still baseless,” the Third Supreme Monarch spoke at last. His voice rolled through the realm like a distant avalanche, calm yet undeniably powerful, drawing all attention towards him.

”First of all,” he continued, each word precise and measured, ”the only rule we have ever established among ourselves was that anyone who reached the Planetary Level realm could be granted the title of Supreme Monarch, so long as they had been a soldier of the military prior to that ascension. We never established a limit concerning time, nor did we impose restrictions on military records and achievements or age. Thus, your argument, while emotionally charged, remains baseless.”

The Third Supreme Monarch was a Titan, his form imposing and vast, sitting upon his cosmic seat like a mountain carved from the bones of ancient stars. His presence alone made the realm feel narrower, as if space itself bowed to his existence.

”Yes,” he continued, his tone flat, ”we did climb to our positions through blood and sacrifice. But who said the child did not? Or are you simply holding a grudge over losing an arm to him? You, who were already a Supreme Monarch, lost an arm to him when he had not even stepped into the Planetary Level. I truly wonder what the outcome would be now, should you face him again.” His words were not shouted, yet they struck like hammers upon steel.

He paused briefly, allowing his statement to linger in the air like a slow-spreading fire.

”As for the matter of skipping ranks,” the Titan resumed, his voice steady and without fluctuation, ”while in general that may be a viable argument, it still holds no true weight here. I am certain you enjoyed the resources obtained from the Starborn Tournament, resources that allowed your power to soar. I do not need to remind you who secured those resources, nor do I need to remind you that the child received his Lieutenant rank as compensation for that feat.”

The Third Supreme Monarch’s cosmic aura flickered faintly, like a star breathing.

”I also do not need to remind you that the child saved millions of soldiers from Military Base Alpha-6, transported them to Military Base Alpha-9 entirely on his own, and that act was the reason he earned his Major rank.”

The Third Supreme Monarch’s voice rumbled through the air like a great cosmic behemoth stirring awake.

”And now,” he said slowly, his words carrying a quiet finality, ”he wiped the Forsaken Cult out of existence. He killed a Demon Monarch and stopped an invasion led by one who calls himself the Demon King. He resurrected millions of people and reversed time for the entire Blue Planet, thereby restoring the damages, the dead, and the very terrain itself.”

He paused once more, as though granting the Second Supreme Monarch time to digest his words, his gaze unblinking and merciless.

”You cannot say the child is inexperienced. Although he is nineteen, we do not base our recognition on age. In our world, only power speaks. Only results are acknowledged. He is a genius forged from circumstances that none of us can fully understand.”

The Titan leaned back slowly, his eyes like twin stars peering through the void.

”Tell me, Second Supreme Monarch, after such feats, do you still dare to say that the child is undeserving of the title of Supreme Monarch? If you wish to present an argument, then present one based on facts, not on spite, pride, or the remnants of personal hatred.”

At those words, the Second Supreme Monarch did not argue. He simply remained silent, his red eyes narrowing slightly as he knew, with a bitter certainty, that he could not refute the Third Supreme Monarch’s words.